GOODBYE CHARLIE GRICE

Liverpool’s former amateur and professional boxer sadly passes away at the age of 81

CHARLIE GRICE, a former amateur and professional boxer from Croxteth, Liverpool, passed away on Monday, May 14, following a longterm illness. He was 81.

Described by one of the boxers he later trained as a “beautiful fella”,

Grice started boxing at the age of 11 and would go on to compete as a professional super-welterweight from 1962 to 1965, accumulating 27 bouts in the process.

Before becoming a pro, Charlie was an amateur boxer and was also in the Merchant Navy. It was while boxing as an amateur, in fact, that he secured his most famous win.

“He was a very good amateur,” said Darren Swords, who was

trained by Grice in the amateur ranks. “There was a good fighter from Liverpool called Jim Lloyd who won the bronze medal at the 1960 Olympics. When he came back, he was finding it hard to get fights. Charlie stood up one day and said, ‘I’ll fight you.’

“Charlie then beat him. It was mad.”

By 1963, Grice was running his own gym in Droylsden, Manchester,

a gym now in the capable hands of his son, Robert.

“Charlie was there right until the very end,” said Swords. “He’s looked after so many people; he’s helped so many kids.

“I’ve never known anybody have a bad word to say about him. He was 18-carat gold. He was a diamond.”

His funeral takes place on Thursday (May 31).